Island



2 SheetSheet 1.

(No Model.) 4

J. GOHM.

INSEGTIGIDE DISTRIBUTER. I I No. 574,798. V Patented Jan. 5, 1897.

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I UNITED "STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES GOHM, OF NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR OF TWVO-THIRDS TOMELVILLE BULL AND \VILLIAM SIIEPLEY, OF SAME PLACE.

INSECTI CIDE-DISTRIBUTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,798, dated January5, 1897. Application filed January 31, 1896. Serial No. 577,580. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES GOHM, a citizen of the United States, residingat Newport, in the county of Newport and State of Rhode Island, haveinvented a new and useful Insecticide-Distributer, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to an insecticide sprinkling or distributing deviceadapted for sprinkling paris-green, Bordeaux mixture, or equivalentinsect-poison upon growing plants, such as potato-vines; and the objectin view is to provide a simple and efficient construction andarrangement of parts whereby the same means are employed for agitatingthe mixture or maintaining the insecticide in suspension in the water orother liquid which is employed as a vehicle and discharging the samefrom the receptacle, to provide means for varying the rapidity of thedischarge of the liquid, .and to provide means for adj usting thereceptacle with relation to the truck to suit the height of theoperator.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of adistributerconstructed in accordance with my invent-ion. Fig. 2 is acentral longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail view of thechain-wheel carried by the brush-spindle, together with the clutch andthe contiguous portion of the spindle. Fig. 4 is a detail view of one ofthe intermediate supports for the distributing-rod.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawlngs.

The truck upon which the distributing device embodying my invention ismounted is similar in construction to that of an ordinary wheelbarrow,with side bars 1, connected by cross-bars 2, and mounted between thefront ends of the side bars is the ground-wheel 3, to the hub of whichis secured a chain-wheel 4. Opposite concaved or rounded seats or rests5 are arranged upon the side bars 1 to support the transversely-disposedreceptacle 6, said receptacle comprising twin alined troughs arranged,respectively, upon opposite sides of the longitudinal center of thetruck and connected by the front, rear, and bottom bars '7, the frontand rear edges of the troughs being flared outwardly and secured to theupper sides of the front and rear connecting-bars. The receptacle issecured to the truck by means of tie-rods 8, arranged, respectively, infront and in rear thereof and fitting at their lower extremities inopenings 9, formed in the side bars of the truck. The upper extremitiesof these tie-rods are loosely connected, as by interlocking eyes 10, tothe front and rear connecting-bars 7, and the lower ends thereof arethreaded and engaged below the plane of the side bars of the truck bynuts 11. By means of these tie-rods and the nuts with which they areprovided the receptacle may be adjusted to occupy any desired angularposition with relation to the plane of the truck. In other words, saidreceptacle may be tilted either forwardly or rearwardly to the desiredextent to suit the height of the operator and prevent the'overflowing ofthe contents due, for instance, to the agitation thereof by the meanshereinafter described.

Mounted in bearings formed in the opposite extremities of the troughsand extending continuously from one end of the receptacle to the otheris a brush-spindle 12, upon the center of which, between the contiguousinner extremities of the troughs, is fitted a chain-wheel 13,connectedby means of a chain 14 with the chain-wheel which is fixed to theground-wheel. The chain-wheel 13 is loosely fitted upon thebrush-spindle for movement axially thereon and is provided with aclutchmember to engage a coacting clutch member on the spindle, whereby saidchain-wheel may be locked to the spindle and communicate rotary motionto the same from the groundwheel. In the construction illustrated saidclutch consists of a notched member 23 on the hub of the chain-wheel 13and lateral pins or studs 16 on the spindle. Arranged in operativerelation with a circumferential groove 15, formed also in the hub of thechainwheel 13, is a hand-lever 18, whereby the clutch members may bethrown out of engagement to allow the spindle to remain at rest duringthe movement of the apparatus from place to place.

Fitted for adjustment upon the brush-spindle and arranged, respectively,in said troughs or compartments of the receptacle are the rotary brushes19, and as the receptacle is approximately semicylindrical and thespindle is mounted contiguous to the upper edges thereof it will be seenthat the brushes, which are circular in construction, project forapproximately one-half their width above the plane of the top of thereceptacle, while their lower sides extend approximately to the bottomthereof. This arrangement of the brushes in the open-topped receptacle,which is adapted to contain the mixture to be distributed, provides forthe agitation of the said liquid throughout the operation of thedistributer, and as these brushes are also designed to distribute theliquid to the plants as the apparatus is moved parallel with the rows ofplants it will be seen that the brushes perform the double function ofmaintaining the insecticide in suspension in the liquid and dischargingthe same upon the plants. The liquid is discharged directly from thereceptacle in which it is carried. In order to provide for adjusting thebrushes to suit the interval between the rows of plants to be sprinkled,the brushes are mounted to slide upon the spindle and are fitted withset-screws 20 to lock them at the desired adjustment.

The means which I have provided for discharging the spray in a givendirection consists of a rod 21, arranged. parallel with thebrush-spindle and in advance thereof, the same being supported at itsextremities by terminal. brackets 22, secured to the outer endsv of thetroughs, and supported near its centerby intermediate brackets 23,secured to the inner or contiguous ends of the troughs. The terminalbrackets are preferably provided with openings 24, through which thethreaded extremities of the distributing-rod project, said bracketsbeing vertically slotted and engaged by set-screws 25 on the ends of thereceptacle, whereby said rod may be vertically adjusted to cause it toobstruct the.

bristles of the brush more or less, as required. Saidthreadedextremities of the rod are fitted with adjusting-nuts 26, whereby thedesired tension of the rod may be secured, it being necessary for theproper operation of the mechanism to prevent vibration of the rod. Theintermediate brackets are preferably secured rigidly to the receptacleand are provided in their rear edges with series of notches or seats 27,whereby as the extremities of the rod are adjusted by means of theterminal brackets the intermediate portions thereof may be arranged indifferent notches or seats to suit the terminal adjustment.

From the above description it will be seen that the spraying of theliquid containingthe insecticide is produced by the same means employedfor agitating the contents of the receptacle, and that the extent of theobstruction offered to the forward movement of the bristles may bevaried by the adjustment of the distributing-rod to engage said bristlesat various distances from the axis of movement of the brushes. \Vhen aslight resistance is offered to the bristles, a fine spray is thrown along distance in front of the machine, whereas when greater resistanceis offered by the downward adjustment of the rod a heavy or coarse sprayis projected a shorter distance. Inasmuch as the distributing-rodextends continuously from one end of the receptacle to the other, it isin operative relation with the brushes in all positions of the latter.

A transverse equalizing-conductor 28 is arranged between the innerextremities of the troughs and connects the interiors thereof to insureuniform level of the contents of the troughs, whereby the balance of theapparatus is maintained. i

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a distributer, thecombination of an open-topped receptacle adapted to contain and formingareservoir for a liquid having a powdered insecticide, or itsequivalent, in suspension, a rotary distributing and agitating brusharranged at its lower side within.

the receptacle and projecting at its upper side above the plane thereof,whereby the contents of the receptacle are agitated tohold theinsecticide in suspension, a rod for obstructing the bristles of theupper side of'the brush and means for communicating motion tothe brush,substantially as specified.

2. In adistributer, the combination of a semicylindrical adjustablereceptacle, a distributing-brush mounted with its lower side within saidreceptacle, operating connections for the brush, 'a rod disposedtransversely in the path of the extremities of the brush-bristles toimpede the forward movement thereof,

terminal slotted brackets carried by the receptacle for supporting therod, andset-screws engaging the slotsof the brackets and adapted tosecure the latter at the desired adjustment to vary the extent ofobstructionofiered by the rod to the brush-bristles, substantially'asspecified.

In a distributer, the combination with a.

truck, of a transversely-elongated receptacle mounted upon the truck, abrush spindlear ranged in and parallel with the receptacle,distributing-brushes adjustably fitted upon the spindle whereby theinterval. therebe tween may be varied, said brushes operating at theirlower sides in the receptacle, operat ing connections for communicatingmotion to the distributing-brushes, and means for im peding the forwardmovement of the brusln bristles,substantially as specified.

4.. I11 a distributer, the combination with a truck, of a receptaclemounted upon the truck, a transverse brush-spindle mounted upon thereceptacle, brushes adj ustably fitted upon the spindle whereby theinterval therebetween maybe varied, operating connections forcommunicating motion to the brushes, and means for impeding the forwardmovement of the brush-bristles, said means including a transverse rod,adjustable terminal brackets for supporting the extremities of said rod,and intermediate brackets provided with series of notches or seats toreceive the rod, substantially as specified.

5. In a distributer, the combination with a truck, of a receptaclemounted thereon, a transverse brush-spindle, means for comm unicatingrotary motion to the brush-spindle, brushes fitted upon thebrush-spindle and operating at their lower sides in the receptacle,terminal and intermediate brackets arranged upon a transverse line inadvance of the brushspindle, and a distributing rod extending throughand supported by said brackets and provided with tension devices wherebythe tension thereof may be adjusted, substantially as specified.

6. In a distributer, the combination of a truck, an open-toppedreceptacle mounted upon the truck to rock forwardly and rearwardly andhaving a transverse axis, means for securing the receptacle at thedesired angular adjustment with relation to the plane of the truck,distributing-brushes mounted upon and arranged at their lower sideswithin the receptacle and with their upper sides above the top of thesame, and means for communicating rotary motion to the brushes,substantially as specified.

'7. I11 a distributer the combination of a truck provided with oppositeconcaved seats or rests, a receptacle mounted upon said seats or restsand capable of forward and rearward rocking adjustment, means forsecuring the receptacle in the desired an gular position with relationto the plane of the truck, distributing-brushes, and means forcommunicating rotary motion thereto, substantially as specified.

8. In a distributer, the combination of a truck, a receptacle mountedtransversely upon the truck and capable of forward and rearward angularadj ustment, tie-rods loosely connected to the front and rear sides ofthe receptacle, means for adjusting the tie-rods with relation to thetruck, distributing-brushes, and means for communicating rotary motionthereto, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES GOHM.

Vitnesses:

HARRY L. DE BLoIs, XVILLIAM SMITH:

